This is mainly an Android phone setup for technicians. Actually, we use tablets to allow our techs to perform work without being required to locate a server.
One very important URL you should know is https://accounts.google.com; this is where you can manage the google account used by your Android device.
Some of our information is sensitive; for example, simply the name/configuration of a VPN connection is actually data that is relatively sensitive. As such, we completely disable all synchronization to Google servers, prefering to use OwnCloud for out data storage needs. This allows shared contacts, calendars and files on our own server.
You will need the following information before starting this process. If anything is not applicable, just ignore it.
Following is step by step information for setting up the applications you have installed.
CardDAV allows you to synchronize your contact list from your Owncloud server to your Android device. It is similar to Google Contact Sync, and can either replace it fully or co-exist with it. These instructions are for replacing Google Contact Synchronization.
CardDAV allows you to synchronize your calendars from your Owncloud server to your Android device. It is similar to Google Calendar Sync, and can either replace it fully or co-exist with it. These instructions are for replacing Google Calendar Synchronization.
It also works with OpenTasks for task management.
No instructions yet, edit similar to CalDav. The synchronization is actually done via CalDAV.
Owncloud allows files to be downloaded from your Owncloud server. These files can remain on your Android even after you have viewed them. Take necessary security precautions when using this app.
I do not have installation instructions for this right now, but it basically uses the same format as CalDAV and CardDAV.
Be sure to set an extra pin for access, secure your Android, and have Remote Erase available.
K-9 Mail Reader is arguably the best mail reader available for Android. We use it as a complete replacement for Google's mail app.
There is no setup for this, and it likes to try to second guess what you want. But, you can do an SMB connection to your workstation to get files from it, so that is good.
The first time you open an ODF formatted file, you are asked if you want to use this app for that. I say “yes, and remember”. It allows you to view ODF files, and even do some light editing.
Having this attached to your device allows you to locate your device, and also do a remote lock and/or erase of it. Definitely a security enhancements (though, it means Google is Watching You!!)
Though this is pretty unstable, it appears to be the best XMPP chat program available for Android.
I generally leave this off unless I need to find someone. As I said, it is buggy, and may give you some error messages, but it will work in a fix.
This is a well thought out app that allows some basic troubleshooting of WiFI. I chose it over others since it is Open Source and does not contain ads.
One of the biggest things an Android tablet can help with is making a remote connection. We use OpenVPN, then add several apps to allow connections through SSH, VNC and RDP.
For OpenVPN users, this is a long awaited app. The OpenVPN group has built this, and the project is supported through non-intrusive advertisement. It will allow you to make a secure connection to any OpenVPN server. If you have VPN access to your workplace, adding this and a good VNC, RDP and SSH app will allow you to get some emergency work done if necessary.
Note: you can exit the OpenVPN Connect app and it will stay in the background, so you can do your work over the network. When you are done, always go back into OpenVPN Connect and disconnect.
This procedure removes one level of protection from your OpenVPN; it imports the certificate without a password. Because of this, OpenVPN Connect will not work if you do not have some tablet locking mechanism.
Additionally, if your android is ever lost or stolen, immediately disable the OpenVPN connection on your server and implement a remote Phone Wipe through the Android Device Manager.
ConnectBot is a basic SSH client which also allows port forwarding and public key authentication. It also supports telnet and local connections
You can define multiple profiles which appear in a list when you connect.
You can actually do everything in ConnectBot that you would do here. I include it for people who do not use ConnectBot
This is Microsoft's RDP client. It does a pretty good job of connecting, though the the mouse is a little funky. If you can get a bluetooth mouse or use an OTC cable to connect a wired mouse, that is helpful.
Click the plus sign in the upper left corner and select Desktop. The app will attempt to detect RDP server and, if it does, you can select one or choose Add Manually.
The options are pretty familiar to anyone who has used an RDP connection in the past, so I will not go into detail. Just put in the IP address or DNS hostname, and username if you desire, then click Save. An icon will appear on your screen that you can then select to make a connection.
This is not my favorite app, but it does the job as well or better than anything else I've found. VNC is always weird anyway.
This app definitely needs a mouse. Using the touchscreen makes life very difficult.
To add a connection, click the plus sign in the lower right corner and fill in the connection information, then click Create.
To open a session, touch the appropriate screen image on your tablet. If you want to edit a session, touch/click the “i”.
There is no screen auto-resizing (which is normal for VNC), but you can use the pinch gesture to make screen larger or smaller.